Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 23, 2025
10:39
Qualitative and Quantitative Validation of Tools with Rating Scales Aimed at Assessing the Quality of University Service-Learning
Published on: August 29, 2025
920
Assessing Participants' Experiences in a Service-Learning Program: A Psychometric Evaluation
Laura T Colman1, Robyn K Sobelson1, Corinne J Wigington2
1Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.
Journal of Methods and Measurement in the Social Sciences
|April 29, 2020
Summary
This study developed and validated the Public Health Associate Program (PHAP) Service-Learning Scale (PSLS) to reliably measure participant experiences in health service-learning programs. The PSLS is a crucial tool for evaluating fellowship satisfaction and outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Health Professions Education
- Program Evaluation
- Psychometrics
Background:
- Service-learning is essential for training the health workforce, but validated assessment tools are lacking.
- Evaluating service-learning programs requires psychometrically sound instruments to ensure reliability and validity.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Public Health Associate Program (PHAP) needed a tool to assess participant experiences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To psychometrically evaluate the Public Health Associate Program (PHAP) Service-Learning Scale (PSLS).
- To establish the validity, reliability, and internal factor structure of the PSLS for assessing service-learning in health fields.
- To provide a dependable instrument for evaluating participant satisfaction and experiences in fellowship programs.
Main Methods:
- Survey development and psychometric evaluation of the PSLS.
- Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) to determine the scale's factor structure.
- Reliability testing using Cronbach's alpha to assess internal consistency.
Main Results:
- The final 22-item PSLS demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach's α=.90).
- EFA identified five factors: Learning Outcomes, Mentoring, Experiential Assignment, Self-Efficacy, and Program Satisfaction.
- All subscales exhibited adequate internal consistency (Cronbach's α >.70).
Conclusions:
- The PSLS is a valid and reliable instrument for evaluating service-learning experiences in health-related fellowships.
- This scale addresses a critical gap in the literature for assessing service-learning program effectiveness.
- The PSLS can inform program development and enhance participant satisfaction in future health workforce training initiatives.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
02:16Surveys
16.5K
Often, psychologists develop surveys as a means of gathering data. Surveys are lists of questions to be answered by research participants, and can be delivered as paper-and-pencil questionnaires, administered electronically, or conducted verbally. Generally, the survey itself can be completed in a short time, and the ease of administering a survey makes it easy to collect data from a large number of people.
16.5K
01:29Self-Evaluation Maintenance Model
201
The Self-Evaluation Maintenance (SEM) model offers a psychological framework to understand how individuals’ self-esteem is influenced by the achievements of others, particularly those with whom they share close personal bonds. The SEM model operates when personal rather than social identity guides individuals. Central to this model is the notion that individuals have an inherent desire to preserve a favorable self-image, which is continuously shaped by interpersonal comparisons and...
201
01:15Nursing Evaluation
4.1K
The evaluation stage signals the end of the nursing process. The nurse gathers evaluative data to assess whether or not the patient has attained the expected results. Whereas the nurse collects data in the nursing assessment to identify the patient's health concerns, the evaluation stage data determines if the indicated health issues are resolved. Evaluative data collection includes two sections: the data acquired to evaluate patient outcomes and the time criteria for data collection.
4.1K
01:22Self-Report Tests of Personality
678
Self-report inventories are objective personality assessments that use multiple-choice items or numbered scales, typically ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). They are often called Likert scales after Rensis Likert. These inventories are widely used due to their ease of administration and cost-effectiveness. One of the most prominent examples is the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), initially developed in the 1940s to assess abnormal personality traits.
678
01:38Cognitive Dissonance
36.7K
Social psychologists have documented that feeling good about ourselves and maintaining positive self-esteem is a powerful motivator of human behavior (Tavris & Aronson, 2008). In the United States, members of the predominant culture typically think very highly of themselves and view themselves as good people who are above average on many desirable traits (Ehrlinger, Gilovich, & Ross, 2005). Often, our behavior, attitudes, and beliefs are affected when we experience a threat to our...
36.7K